Cyber Defense - Lots Going On

5 Oct 2009

On October 1st 2009 U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) became a reality. With high expectations and very little fanfare the efforts led by U.S. Strategic Command began to protect the nation from cyber assault. There are reports that the cyber command initiation efforts to date required the reorganization of 40,000 job positions.

An additional 1,000 new jobs are scheduled to be added to cyber command in the not so distant future. The same day the Navy announced it was reorganizing their intelligence gathering capabilities in order to maintain intelligence supremacy in cyberspace. In addition, Gen. C. Robert Kehler, Commander of Air Force Space Command stated that space and cyberspace are intertwined and their integrally connected existence.

At the same time all these military activities were becoming a reality, the Department of Homeland Security said they need to hire 1,000 cyber specialists in the next few years.

Questions about cyber command far outweigh what we know. Very little operational information is publically available. The specifics of Cyber Command's mission and operational modalities are being closely guarded. However, real-time cyber intelligence has been recognized as a critical element of cyber defense.

Cyber security threats rose nearly threefold last year. Last month, the U.S. Intelligence Director Dennis Blair grouped China, Iran, North Korea and Russia as nations with the ability to "challenge US interests in traditional and emerging ways". This clearly indicates the magnitude of the cyber threat and the challenge faced by cyber command.

All these activities indicate of how serious the U.S. is taking the growing threats we face in cyberspace. October has been designated Cyber Security awareness month. Is your system fully protected?

FACT - Cyber Command is a subordinate, unified command under the Strategic Command.FACT - Director of the NSA, (dual-hatted) Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander will receive a promotion to a 4-stars and will be the Nation's first Cyber commander.FACT - The latest industry statistics stated that a cyber attack occurs every .25 seconds.FACT - It is estimated that only about 30 percent of cyber attacks are reported.